Added 10 October 2026
strobilus
/stɹəʊ̯ˈbaɪ̯.ləs/ noun
Latin root: strobīlus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about strobilus at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A cone-shaped fruiting body sensu stricto of gymnosperms and vascular plants other than angiosperms, bearing either seeds or spores, but sensu lato may refer to similarly structured catkins and cones in angiosperms; usage arbitrary according to preferences of various authorities.
- Sensu strictissimo a more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body of any of various vascular Pteridophyta, such as horsetail, that bear spores;
- Sensu stricto according to source and context, a more-or-less cone-shaped fruiting body; a structure that might or might not be seen as an infructescence, usually woody, of gymnosperms such as pines and cycads, that bear seeds — usage has varied arbitrarily among authors since the 19th century.
Origin
Borrowed from Late Latin strobīlus (“pine cone”), borrowed from Ancient Greek στρόβῑλος (stróbīlos, “twisted object, pine cone”), from στρόβος (stróbos, “whirl”). According to Liddell and Scott, 8th ed. 1882: of various meanings such as a pine-cone, something screwed up into a lump like a pine-cone, a pine tree and more.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)